Monday, August 13, 2012

Recipe: Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Whipped Mascarpone

This, as far as I’m concerned, is the real red velvet cake —
chocolate, naturally reddened and intensely flavored. For reasons I
cannot put my finger on, this feels quintessentially September, fudgy
rich chocolate, faintly spiced red wine, diminutive in size and so very
quick to make. We are completely obsessed with it already.

Now, the essentials: The wine does not, I repeat, does not, fully
bake out. It will taste like there’s wine in there though not in the way
that it would leave you tipsy, nevertheless, I will not be using this
cake for, say, my toddler’s birthday party, if you get my drift. The cinnamon, chocolate, and red wine play off each other well.

Cake
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (179 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) white granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature3/4 cup (177 ml) red wine, any kind you like
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (133 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (41 grams) Dutch cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Topping
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup (118 grams) chilled heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extractMake the cake: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a
9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and either butter and lightly
flour the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior
with a nonstick spray. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an
electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat
until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and yolk and beat well, then
the red wine and vanilla. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little
uneven. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and
salt together, right over your wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined,
then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. Spread batter in
prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted
into the center comes out clean. The top of the cake should be shiny
and smooth, like a puddle of chocolate. Cool in pan on a rack for about
10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a
cooling rack. This cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge.
It looks pretty dusted with powdered sugar.Make the topping: Whip mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla
together until soft peaks form — don’t overwhip. Dollop generously on
each slice of cake. It can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 4
hours.

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About Me

I love the beautiful chaos of raising six kids, I am my husband's girlfriend, a child of God, a web geek, and author.Currently writing novels in the romance genre. I am addicted to great books I can get lost in, I find cooking relaxing, I am passionate about our country, and I love my friends. Life is busy but perfect. :)